Lukey Doo Turns Two!

 Sweet Luke turned two this week!  He is such a joy in our home.  He is a gentle soul and has a very sensitive little heart.  However, he may be the most stubborn child I've ever met.   He chats all day long and actually speaks very clearly.  I love this age when their personality really starts to blossom.  We are so lucky to have him and I can't wait to see what he does this year! 

Look Mom, No Cannula!!

The babies have been in the hospital for 48 days.  They are 7 weeks old tomorrow!  I can't believe how fast it has gone by!  If I were still pregnant, I would be 36 weeks along....and ginormous.  I suppose there are some upsides to delivering at 28 weeks.

We have settled into a nice rhythm here.  I go up to the hospital during the day every other day, and then every other night, Jay and I go together.  Our drive to the hospital takes about 45 minutes.  It has been really nice to have that alone time with Jay.  I might actually be a little sad when we don't have those long evening drives anymore.  

Jack and Luke love having Grandma Durrant here, so they don't really mind that I leave them a lot.  Although, on Friday, Jack said, "Mom, do you have to go to the hospital today?  Can't you just stay here with me and play?  Tripp and Charlie can't even play yet.  They will never know the difference."  Haha!  He sounds so grown up sometimes. 

They may not know if I come up every day or not, but I sure miss them if I don't.  I can't wait until they are home and I can snuggle them whenever I want :)

Jack took a headband and put it around his face so that he could have a nasal cannula like Tripp and Charlie :)  He is such a funny kid!

Tripp and Charlie are thriving!  They are getting fat, fat, fat!!  Tripp is now 4 lb. 13 oz. and Charlie is 4 lb. 6 oz.!!  They are starting to look like babies....instead of fetuses....or monkeys :)

The boys have made some awesome progress this week!  They have both gained enough weight that they can regulate their body temperatures somewhat.  So, they were moved out of their isolettes and into bassinets!!  Now they don't seem like they are locked away in little cages.  They are out in the open!

They also both came off of their nasal cannulas!  They haven't been having any apnea episodes and they were both weaned off of their caffeine!  Hopefully they can keep them off this time and not tire out!  Because it is so nice to see their little faces!

Aren't they so darling?  Charlie on the left, Tripp on the right.

Since they are regulating their temps, they get to wear clothes!!  Here is Tripp looking studly!  I couldn't get a picture of Charlie in his outfit because he is still a little cold and has to stay wrapped up over his clothes.   They are about a day away from growing out of their preemie clothes.  Chubbers.

Grandma and Tripper :)  Seriously, I think I have eaten a Chipotle burrito about the same size as him.

 Another leap made this week is bottle feeding!  Both boys get to try a bottle once a day.  It really wears them out so we have to start slow.  Yesterday, Tripp took 15 cc's and Charlie took 7!!  This is one skill they have to master before they can come home.  A full bottle for them would be about 40 cc's.  So, they have a ways to go still.  Their feeding tubes got moved to their noses so that they can get a better latch on the bottle.  I can't even imagine having a tube shoved up my nose.  Blech!!

Jay and Mini-Jay.

Charlie is always smiling.  I don't care if it is gas.  He sure has a cute smile! :)

They are starting to look more identical.  I am needing some ideas to tell them apart.  Right now I just count on their beds staying in the same place so I know who is who :)  Tripp's double chin helps, too :)

Can't wait to have our two other boys in the picture with these guys!  If all goes really, really well, we may have them home for Christmas!!  It's a long shot, but I'll take it :)

NICU Graduates

We are so fortunate that my mom was able to come out here for the past month.  I'm not sure what we would have done without her.  She took care of me after my c-section.  She did our laundry.  She cooked and cleaned.  She took Jack and Luke to the park and watched them everyday so that Jay and I could be at the hospital with the babies.  I'm 30 years old and I still need my mom :) 

We took her to Gettysburg because we wanted her to get to do something fun while she was here.  We had a great time!  My dad came out last week to see the babies and to collect my mother :)  Jack and Luke were so happy to have Grandpa around for a few days :)  They left on Saturday and we have been on our own for two days.  It feels a little weird.  Luckily, Grandma Holly is coming tomorrow!  The boys are so excited and we are so grateful that we have family to help us until the babies come home :)

This week, our boys graduated from the NICU!!!  WAHOO!!!  They are now in the Intermediate Care Nursery.  Basically, they have the same care as they did in the NICU, but the babies in the IMC are more stable and really just there to finish growing :)  We are so pleased with their progress!

Jay and Charlie.  Don't be fooled by the size of him.  There are 2 blankets wrapped around him.  He is still the size of a squirrel :)

 

 Tripp holding my hand.

 

Here is Charlie without his nasal cannula!!  He was breathing without it for about 2 days, but his oxygen saturation wasn't staying high enough so he had to go back on.  At least his sore little nose got a break for a few days.  

  

 Here is our little corner of the NICU.  It really is starting to feel like a second home.  Even the security guards recognize us.  We are becoming part of the hospital family :)

 

Tripp also had to go back on the nasal cannula.  He was off for about 4 days, but they just get really tired of doing it all on their own.  His red blood cell count was also low, so he had to have a blood transfusion.  That has helped his oxygen levels quite a bit, so hopefully he can try again without the cannula.  He LOVES his binky!  Which is a good sign that he might be able to try bottle feeding soon.

(Charlie loves his binky too, but he gets distracted by it and forgets to breathe :)  He hasn't learned to multitask yet.)

Charlie after his bath getting his hair combed.  So cute!

When I hold the boys together, they throw a few punches, make a few squeaks, and then they calm down and snuggle right in :)  They are such boys.  Wrestle = Love.  (Charlie on the left, Tripp on the right)

Tripp is now 3 lbs. 9 oz. and Charlie is 3 lbs. 4 oz.  What little chubbers! 

As for these two, yes, they still exist :)  Unfortunately they aren't getting much blog time.  They have been such troopers through this whole thing.  Jack has been such a great brother to Luke.  They really are great friends. 

Jack has been busy perfecting his dance moves.  He really is pretty good.  Once things calm down I should think about getting him into something.  And Luke has become obsessed with the Lumineers song "Ho Hey".  He walks around the house all day yelling, "Ho!!  Hey!!!"  They are pretty cute and we can't wait for our house to be overrun with all of our little men soon :)

Twinner Reunion

I can't even explain how crazy life is.  You just never know what is going to come next.  I suppose that is what keeps one from getting bored.   We have gone through a couple of roller coaster-moments in the past few weeks.   One day we are elated, the next day we are deflated.  I think this may be exactly what I needed.  I am such a planner and a control freak that it is good for me to learn to roll with the punches. 

We survived the hurricane!  We had a ton of rain and a few pretty good wind gusts, but really, that is about all we got.  We are so grateful as so many others were not as fortunate as us.  I don't think I have ever prayed so hard for the power to stay on.  We just bought a deep freezer to store all of the milk I pumped.  I didn't want all of those hours to go wasted.  We had one flicker of the lights and that was it.   We weren't able to go up to the hospital for a couple of days because Baltimore was partly flooded, but the nurses kept me well informed during the hurricane and they assured me that if their power went out, they had generators to keep the babies alive :)

Jack and Luke aren't allowed in the NICU so they haven't seen the babies yet.  Jack begged for us to take him to the hospital where he promised to wait quietly in the waiting room :)  We agreed to his terms and decided to have a fun outing on the way up.   We drive right through downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor to get to the hospital.  The harbor is lined with shops and restaurants and huge ships.  We took the boys to see the ships and have lunch.  Jack was in heaven.  Luke was mad that we wouldn't let him run around.  We took the boys to the hospital and Jack realized that waiting in the waiting room was pretty boring and it was ok for us to visit the babies without him next time :)

The babies have really been doing great.  A couple of weeks ago, the doctor told us that both boys have spiculated red blood cells.  Meaning, they aren't perfect circles.  They look like they have little bites taken out of them.  Most premature babies have some of these funny looking cells.  Usually around 5% of their red blood cells look like that.  Our babies have about 50% that look weird.  This put the doctors on alert and they started doing a few tests.  Jay and I both had our blood checked to see if we have that, which we don't.  So, they were concerned that the babies had a lipid disorder.  After a few consults with the doctors, I still had no idea what they were looking for or what any of it meant.  All I knew was that it could mean some really scary things for the babies.  We went through a week of worry and fear and sadness.  It was terrifying.  We prayed and prayed, and our families prayed and we fasted and we prayed some more.  Finally, the results came back and they were normal.

I have never felt such relief.  So, they still have weird shaped red blood cells, but they don't have the really scary disease :)  We will follow up with a Hematologist after they are discharged to make sure all is well with them.

The babies have the best nurses and doctors.  They are so intuitive and they really care about our boys.   Both Tripp and Charlie are busy babies.  They are excellent at pulling their feeding tubes out.  It frustrates their nurses, but they are impressed by their coordination :)  They can also move around quite a bit in their isolettes, which screws with their vitals.  The nurses have to strap them down to get them to stay put, so that the boys can sleep and grow :) 

Here is Tripp fast asleep.  Finally holding still. 

And here is Charlie.

And Charlie again.  They are growing so much that they have to keep going up in sizes for their hats.  They also graduated from ultra-preemie diapers to regular preemie diapers!  Wahoo!!

Here is Tripp trying to roll over.  I kept moving him and then he would just throw his head back where it was.  He knows what he wants I guess!

Here is Charlie in his seashell bikini :)  

Tripp made a giant leap this week and came off of his nasal cannula!  He is breathing completely on his own and doing very well so far!  There is a small possibility that he will have to go back on it because preemies get tired so fast and sometimes they need a break.   But, we are so proud of him :)  Plus, he is sooooo darling without all of that stuff shoved up his nose and taped around his face!

My mom got to hold Tripp today.  I think she is smitten with him.  How could she not be?  Both boys have what the nurses call a "toaster head".  Tripp's is worse than Charlie's.  Because it is easier for them to breathe lying on their bellies, their heads are always to the side.  The nurses are good about making sure they have equal time on each side of their head, but it just gets a little flat looking....like a piece of toast.  Eventually when they breathe better and they sleep on their backs, their heads should round out a bit.  Haha!

Doesn't he look like a little old man?  They even have wrinkly butts :)  So cute.

The big news today is that the babies were finally reunited with each other!!  They have had another baby between their isolettes in the NICU, so they haven't been able to be together.  Today the nurses moved their beds next to each other and I got to hold them both at the same time!! It was so precious to see them together.  They looked into each others eyes and made little noises....and then they held hands!!!!  Such a sweet little moment that I got to be there for.  However, holding two babies is not easy.  In fact, it is down right hard.  It is going to take a lot of practice.

Both boys are starting to put some weight on!  Charlie is 2 lb. 13 oz. and Tripp just hit 3 lbs! I go in every day to drop off my milk.  I'm like a personal dairy.   I'm thinking of going into business.  Anyone on the way to Baltimore that needs fresh milk, just leave a milk box outside and $20 :)

Boys, Boys, Boys

 What a whirlwind the past two weeks have been!  I think my head may finally have stopped spinning long enough to update the blog :)

We have been so blessed the past two weeks.  I can't even begin to count how many wonderful things we have experienced since the babies came.   Our new ward has been amazing.  We have had babysitters for the older boys and meals brought in so that we still have something to eat while we are trying to get everything done.  My mom has practically run herself ragged trying to take care of all of us.  My sister came out to help me unpack boxes....and now she can't get home because of the hurricane.  Guess she has to stay a little longer :) We have received flowers, food, books, and more prayers than I thought possible.

The babies have really made amazing progress.  I can't believe how tough these tiny little guys are!  They just keep getting hit right and left with new complications and they seem to triumph over and over.  I don't have any doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father is very watchful over them.  They are such miracles.

Both Charlie and Tripp were on SiPAP machines ( a bit different from a CPAP machine, but sort of the same idea) which allowed them to breathe a little on their own and it gave a little assistance.  Both have graduated to a nasal cannula which just has a continuous flow of oxygen.  They are doing all of the breathing on their own!!  Such a huge thing for them :)  Both babies struggled with episodes of apnea.  Charlie more so than Tripp.  They found that both babies have a valve open in their hearts allowing too much blood to go to the lungs causing bouts of apnea.  This is called a PDA.  Both boys were given a medication to help close the valve.  Charlie's closed during his first round of meds and they can't hear a murmur at all anymore.  Tripp has had 2 rounds of meds and his murmur is still there.  However, he is doing so well breathing on his own that they are going to let it go to see if it finishes closing on its own.

They have also started the babies on breastmilk!  They have both tolerated their feedings really well.  Since their digestive systems are so immature, they have to start off with such a small amount of food to see if they can actually digest.  So far, so good!  Plus, most importantly, it is helping to put some weight back on them!  They lost weight for a little while, but they are both now back to their birth weights!  Yay babies!

We have also been able to hold them a few times!  With preemies, it is hard for them to regulate their temp.  The hospital keeps their beds quite warm and humid to keep their temps normal.  So, when we hold them, they can get cold really fast.  We have to take the hypothermia approach with them and pretty much just get naked.  Ha!  It is called Kangaroo care and evidently works miracles.  Both babies love it and their temperatures stay really stable.  Plus, it allows us to bond a little which is so hard when I only get to see them once a day.

The nurses have a joke about white baby boys.  Apparently they are the wimpiest when it comes to preemies.  They always give the nurses the hardest times, so whenever they have a set back, the nurses say, "He's just a wimpy white boy.  Give him time".  Ha!

This is Charlie in his milk coma.  The orange tube in his mouth is his feeding tube.  They shoot the milk straight into their tummies.  He loves it!

 Here is Tripp!  Isn't he so cute?!  We tried not to get too much of me in the picture since I'm nakie :)

Tripp loves being held.  He is our calm baby.  He is so relaxed and sweet.  He kept trying to lick me so I guess his instincts are trying to kick in :)

Mouth open searching for a hand-out. He is also the pig of the two.  He is on 15 cc's of milk every 3 hours.  Charlie is only on 10.  

Jay trying to give you an idea of their size.  Check out Tripp's binky.  It is so huge, but he loves it.  It is actually preemie sized and still almost as big as his head.

 Charlie holding momma.  I have less pictures of Charlie since he wasn't as stable as Tripp for a while.  He mostly just stayed in his isolette.  However, since his PDA closed, he is much more stable and we get quite a bit more time with him :)

Charlie relaxed after I held him.  He is our busy one.  He always gets out of his little nest that the nurses make and he screws up his oxygen.  He is a mover and a wiggler :)

 Last night I held Charlie for almost an hour.  It was pure bliss.  Our babies couldn't be much sweeter.

Tripp under his phototherapy lights.  They go on and off of them as their bilirubin levels climb and drop.  Binky and sunglasses...so darling :)

Charlie in his too big hat.  

Tripp all snuggled in for the night.

 Jay doesn't want to do kangaroo care.  He says he needs a tan, a shaved chest and a cowboy hat before he is getting undressed in front of the nurses :)  Ha!  Vanity.

Jack and Luke are hanging in there.  We are trying to keep things as normal as possible.  It is pretty difficult to have your children in 2 different places and get enough time with all of them.   They have been patient and sweet through this.  Jack is sad that he can't see the babies.  Luke has absolutely no idea what is going on.

Jack really wanted to be a ghost for Halloween.  Probably the easiest costume on Earth.  Bless him for being so obliging this year :)  Luke was a Robin Hood repeat.  He looked just as cute as Jack did in it 2 years ago :)

People bringing meals have kept us stocked up on cake.  How did they know it is our favorite!?

 Jack and Luke scooping guts out of pumpkins :)  Jack was grossed out.  Luke was in messy kid heaven.

 Good thing he is so cute because he is trouble!

 Jack has been our rock.  Every night we head to the NICU and he says, "Tell Tripp that I love him and tell Charlie that Luke loves him".  He has already assigned babies to each brother.  Pretty cute :)

Please continue to keep the babies in your prayers.  They have a few other issues to work out before they are out of the woods.  It is also pretty common for preemies to take 2 steps forward and 1 step back.  The nurses told us to get our rollercoaster shoes on :) 

And pray that the hurricane doesn't take our power out and destroy the freezer full of milk that I have worked hours on.  Haha!